Latvia considers deploying defence service soldiers at Belarus border

Latvia is considering involving State Defence Service soldiers in guarding the Latvia Belarus border, LSM reported. State Border Guard Deputy Chief General Juris Martukāns said the situation had become dramatic and that additional personnel were needed.

Estonian, Lithuanian and Finnish border guards are currently assisting Latvia, along with the National Armed Forces and State Police.

“Our forces have already been exhausted for some time. Without reinforcements, it is impossible to protect against this hybrid attack, especially if the pressure is further increased through greater aggression, trained migrants and other circumstances,” Martukāns said on Latvian Radio’s Krustpunktā programme.

Martukāns said about 100 border guards were stationed at Pāternieki, the only road border crossing between Latvia and Belarus. If a decision were made to close the crossing, those personnel could be reassigned to guard the green border.

The State Border Guard has told the Interior Ministry it needs 150 additional posts to maintain normal border protection during peacetime. In the event of a strong hybrid attack, it would need at least 400 additional people, Martukāns said.

Ainars Latkovskis, chairman of the Saeima National Security Commission, said the number of border guards on assignment needed to be increased, although new recruits must complete border guard school. He suggested that State Defence Service recruits from border regions could be assigned duties in the State Border Guard as one possible solution.